The Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow was built between the years 1965 to 1980. At the  time is was stated that it was the most innovative Rolls-Royce yet created.

Launched in Paris at the motor-show in 1965 the Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow held the stage as one of the most technologically advanced cars of the day. With Monocoque (chassis less) construction, independent (automatic) hydraulic self leveling suspension and fully loaded electronic equipment throughout.

It was the first Rolls-Royce to be designed as an owner driver car instead of the normal policy of the chauffer driven concept, and this also had the effect of giving the car a much wider sales market.

Styled by John Blatchely, who was ultimately responsible for the definitive outline of the car, gave Rolls-Royce a model that was acceptable for at least 15 years.

Well as a tribute to John Blatchely I would say that the design is timeless and still commands awe inspiring looks and fanciful glances.

Introduced in 1977  the Silver Shadow II was created with the idea of it being the best car in the world and this was reflected in every part and in every detail of the car.  Nothing was designed or constructed on the cheap and the company utilized the best of the currently available technology at the time, and still does with today's Rolls-Royce's of course.

The interior of the Rolls-Royce is very luxurious as expected and every part and detail is made and assembled with the best craftsmanship that the world can offer.

The most important place in a Rolls-Royce is when you sit behind the driving wheel, and when one encumbers in that  position is when it hits home just how sumptuous these cars really are.  Until you do, you will never really understand the total eloquence of these exquisitely fine automobiles.

A column shift automatic transmission was utilised in every Silver Shadow. This was considered to be a neater arrangement and also it enabled the driver to alight from the car at either side without having to climb over the gear selector to do it ! As you may notice too  the steering wheel is of a two spoke construction which gives a clearer view of the instrumentation. 
The automatic transmission, with  electrical solenoid operated gear selection gave exceptionally smooth gear changes throughout the range of three forward gears and reverse.

The seats are as comfortable as they look, reminding me of the same comfort that I can acquire whilst sitting in my arm chair at home.  As stated earlier, one of the best ways to appreciate a Rolls-Royce is to get behind the steering wheel, then to  drive her !  traveling in total comfort with the austere grandeur that only a Rolls-Royce can offer. 

Even today with the latest Rolls-Royce Phantom to glide of the assembly line, the super expensive Maybach or top end Mercedes are fantastic equivalents, but a Rolls-Royce has that certain unequivocal pedigree, a hallmark or as I say "hallmarque" that other cars can only be judged by.

The hand stitched top grade supple English hide, lambs wool over rugs and windsor blue  foot rests add to the overall elegance in the passenger compartment with plenty of matching French polished  walnut veneer and chromium plated fixtures to add to the over all ambience.

It must be said that the over powering smell of leather is usually the first thing that greets the prospective passenger as they slide into the car.

The power plant is  the 6.75 litre V8 engine. The horsepower of the engine has never been disclosed by Rolls-Royce, they just like to state that its " adequate". Enough anyway to get a car that weighs over 2 tons to a maximum speed of around 120 mph ( at 4600 rpm). 

It has to be said though that these cars where not designed for speed but for luxury,  " Its not when you get there, but how you get there" and with great mechanical reliability this was always guaranteed.  It must be remembered as well that a Rolls-Royce never breaks down, it just simply refuses to proceed !

The heart of any car of course is the engine and when you see those two words Rolls-Royce  on the top covers then one is instantly at ease with the time honored promise of total reliability.  These same two words also afford the same reassurance to almost everyone who has ever flown in a jet engine aircraft.

Being content with an average fuel consumption of 11 mpg around town and about 17 mpg on a straight run is something that an enthusiast intent on purchasing a Silver Shadow with today's fuel prices should really consider !

As one particular anecdote suggests though, if you can afford a Rolls-Royce in the first instance, then the cost of the fuel should be of no consequence.

The Silver Wraith II is the Long wheel base version of the Silver Shadow II which offers an extra 4 inches of leg room in the back of the car. Here seen finished in Cardinal Red with a Magnolia Ever-Flex roof.  Along with the accompaniment of white wall tires, the car looks in every sense a million dollars.

The Silver Wraith had the option of incorporating a partition in-between the driver and rear passenger in a time honored tradition that was utilised in the first Silver Wraith in 1946. This also gave rise for the need for 2 air conditioning units, one for each compartment.

Rolls-Royce is and always has been...in a world all of its own !

Eighteen months after the launch of the Silver Shadow, Rolls-Royce came out with the 2-door convertible which was the fore runner of the Corniche (pictured below) It took six weeks to complete the body styling for this new variant.

This car was a much sought after model and became even more popular than the standard Shadow.  Many of them were sold even before they glided of the assembly line, proving again that it is indeed a rich mans world.

The Rolls-Royce Corniche appeared in 1971 and was launched in the South of France at Nice, which was seen as an appropriate venue in view of the cars name. The car became an instant success and orders for it from the wealthy onlookers soon flooded in to the factory at Crewe.

Today these cars are still revered for their elegant looks and super prestigious status as being one of the best cars in the world.

Designed by Charles Robinson Sykes, this figurine also called the " Silver lady " is the worlds most noted bonnet mascot and  has adorned the radiators of Rolls-Royce motor cars since 1911 and continues to pride the radiators of Rolls-Royces to this day. From 1911 to 1914 " The Spirit of Ecstasy " was silver-plated and because thieves believed them to be of solid silver many of them were stolen from owners cars. To curb this, from 1915 onwards they were created from base metal and plated with a highly polished nickel alloy.

Because of safety restrictions on these type of " dangerous protuberances " all of these mascots are spring loaded and will not impale a pedestrian in an accident. Mascots fitted on today's new Rolls-Royces will retract into the radiator housing if they are knocked.